Experiencing the Cosmos, Understanding X-ray Astronomy

The Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) is presenting itself at the Potsdam Science Day, which takes place on Saturday, 13 May 2017, in the Science Park Potsdam Golm. Researchers of more than 40 universities and institutes will give an insight into their work and the international cutting-edge research.

The AIP exhibition stand will be in the building of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute, in short MPI-AEI). Scientists will introduce the AIP and for example demonstrate how X-ray astronomy works. Visitors can furthermore have a look at the history of the cosmos, travel virtually to observatories and space, take a bath in dark matter, and take home a 3D hologram. There will also be more than 200 separate events.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Strassmeier, Director of the AIP’s research branch Cosmic Magnetic Fields, will explain what astrophysics teaches us about life in the universe. This talk will take place in the seminar room in the MPI-AEI building, ground floor.

The website of the Potsdam Science Day with the complete program: www.ptdw.de

The key areas of research at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) are cosmic magnetic fields and extragalactic astrophysics. A considerable part of the institute's efforts aim at the development of research technology in the fields of spectroscopy, robotic telescopes, and e-science. The AIP is the successor of the Berlin Observatory founded in 1700 and of the Astrophysical Observatory of Potsdam founded in 1874. The latter was the world's first observatory to emphasize explicitly the research area of astrophysics. The AIP has been a member of the Leibniz Association since 1992.